Automatic door-opening device



FIF. BRUSH. AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FI'LED JUNE 23,1919.

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APPLicATmN FILED JUNE 23, 1919.

1,382,168. PatentedJune 21, 1921.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. .51

Lilhi ih l 75 fizz/@7222 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

FREDERICK F. BRUSH, OF LOS' ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO ELEVATOR SAFETY APPLIANCE COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01? CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC IDGOR-QPENING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern Be 1t known that I, FREDERIcK F. Bnosrr,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angelcs, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement Comprising an Automatic Door-Opening Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to elevators, and is particularly applicable to elevators which have no permanent operator, being operated by any user. Such elevators are very common in apartment houses and in residences, and it is absolutely necessary that their operation should be safe-guarded to a degree not found necessary where a trained operator is employed, and so arranged as to demand a minimum effort on the operators part, also correct any defect due to an unnatural sequence of his acts.

The object of my invention is to provide such an elevator with special safety devices to prevent accidents due to unskilful operation.

A further object of the inventionis to provide in such an elevator power operated doors at the various floors'and to safe-guard V the operation of the elevator through attachments to these doors, and also basically protect the passengers person when passing such zones between floors and elevator as might, if unprotected, cause personal in- 'ury.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means whereby these power operated doors are automatically actuated in the proper sequence with regard to the operation of the elevator.

Further objects and advantages will be mentioned hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only,

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of an elevator embodying my invention. v

Fig. 2 is a diagram of connections.

For convenience I have shown my invention applied to an electric elevator, this be-' ing the most common embodiment of the automatic elevator.

In the embodiment shown, the car 11 is raised and lowered in a hatch-way 12 by means of suitable hoisting mechanism 13. doorway 1a is provided at each floor 15, each of thee doorways 14 being closed by a door Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 192 1.

Application filed June 23, 1919. Serial No. 306,230.

16 which may be opened and closed by a swinging lever 17 pivoted at 18 and provided with a projecting pin 19. The projecting pins 19 are engaged by jaws 20 carried on a door closing mechanism 21 located on top of the car 11, this door closing mechanism moving the jaws 20 from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to the position shown in dotted lines in that figure, when it is desired to open the door. The door 16 may be quite heavy and may be provided with suitable locking means if desired so that the entrance through the doorway 14 is closed at all times except as hereinafter ex plained.

One of the principal troubles with automatic elevators. which are operated by the public, is the difliculty in securing the proper operation of the doors together with the physical objection to moving a heavy door, it beingvery common to find such doorsleft open when they should be closed, in which case the elevator operation is interfered with if these doors are provided with automatic interlocks as they should be. By providing a power operated door closing mechanism I am able to use a heavy door and I am further able to insure proper operation of the door regardless of the knowledge or skill of the operator. In addition to the door 16 I provide a safety bar 25 carried by the car 11, which is pivoted at 26 and which closes an opening 27 leading into the car. This safety bar 25 has certain functions which will later be explained.

While I have shown a bar pivoted at 26, various other types of opening and closing means may be employed, as for example, a swinging or sliding door, all such mechanically equivalent means for closing the opening into the car being within the scope of my invention.

Referring to the diagram, Fig. 2, it will be noted that I show the various electrical these buttons being secured to the building structure beside each door, being provided for the purpose ofcalling the elevator to that particular floor when it is desired to use it. V

Associated with each pair of buttons and 3l is afloor relay 32, these relays operating in conjunction with a selector 33. Opcrating in connection with the selector 33 are auxiliary relays 34 and 35 which in turn control the'main motor reversers 36 and 37. The circuit through the relays 34 and 35 may be interrupted atanytime by an emergency button 38 carried in the car. Connected to the safety bar 25 is a safety bar switch 39 which serves to partially control the operation of a. closing relay 40. The door closing mechanism 21 is provided with a motor having an armature 41 and field '42, the operation of which is partially con trolled by the closing relay and by an opening relay 43. The" door closingniechanism 21 is also provided with an opening limit switch 44 and closing limit switch 45 and an interlock switch 46. The opening limit switch 44 opens at the end of the opening stroke of the door, closing soon after the door starts to close. The closing limit switch 45 opens at the end of the closing stroke of the-door, closing soon after the door starts to open. The interlock switch 46 opens soon after the door starts to open and closes just before or at the time the door reaches its closed position. ".Thejmcthod of connection of the above designated parts is as follows:

The positive side of the electric control circuitis connected through the safety bar switch 39 to one terminal of aclosing coil 50 .on the closing relay 40, the other termi nal of this coil being connected to a coinmonbus 51 to which one side of allot the door buttons 31 and car buttons 30 areconnected. I

The door buttons and car buttons are coin nected in pairs each pair comprising the door button for a certain floor and the ca buttons for thesame floors These common wires 52 are each connected to one terminal 53of an operating coil 54 of one of the floor relays 32. The other terminal of: each of these coils 54 is connectedto the negative side of the circuit through a common wire 55. The floor selector is provided with a series of brushes 56, each of these brushes corresponding to one of the floors. being served and each being connected through a wire 57 with one of the upper contacts 53 v of a floor relay 32, the other upper contact- 58 being connected through a wire 59 with the coil 54.- The floor selector 33 is provided with an outer ring split into two seg-.

ments 60 and 61 and with an insulated seg- ,ment62. The segment 60 is connected to a collector ring 63 and theseginent 61 is connected to a collector ring 64. The selector 33. is mechanically connected to the hoisting means 13 1n such 'a manner that the insulated segment 62 coincides with one of:

.coils 72 of the auxiliary relays 34 and35,

the other terminals of these coils being connected through a wire 73 and through the emergency button 38 with the positive side of the circuit. The auxiliary relays 34 and 35, whenever the coils 32 are energized, close the circuit to onset the reversers 36 and 37. thr0ugh their contacts 74, the inner contacts being connected through a wire 75with the negative side ot'the circuit. The other side of the coils 36 and 37 is connected through a wire 76 and through the inter lock switch 46 with the safety barswitch 39 andhence to the positive side of the cir:

cuit. The method by whichthe main motor with lower contacts 80, the first of these contacts beingconnected to the negative side of the circuit, all of these contacts being cons nected in series'and through a wire 81 with the operating coil 82 of the opening relay 43, this operating coil being connected through a wire 83 withthe opening limit switch 44, the other side of which is. connected to the positive side of the control circuit. One side 01' the closing limit switch ,45 is connected to the positive side of the control circuit, being also connected through a wire 84 with one of theupper contacts 85 of the closing relay 40, the other one of these contacts being connected through a holding coil 86 of the closing relay 40, which is in turn connected tothe negative side of the circuit. The plus side'of the circuit is connected through a wire 90 with one of the lower contacts 9.1,ot the closing relay 40 and through a wire 92 with oneof the lower contacts 93' of the opening relay 43. The negativeside of the circuit is connected to the field 42 and is connected to a wire 95 which-is connected to one of the upperccontacts 96 of the closing relay 40 and one of the intermediate contacts 97 of the opening relay 43. One of the lower contacts-91 and one of the intermediate contacts 96 are connected toone terminal of therarmature 41, one of the contacts 93 and one of the contacts 97 being connected to the other terminal of this armature.

. The method of operation of the invention is as, follows: 7

In the diagram the door 16 is supposed to be open and the car 11 is supposed to be at a floor corresponding to the contact 56 which is. in contact with the, insulated segment 62. The safety bar 25 being in the position shown in Fig. 1 across the opening, the person desiring to operate the elevator must lift this bar before entering the car. It will be noted that in lifting the bar the circuit to the door operating mechanism 21 is opened. The circuit to, the main motor reversers, 36 and 37 is also opened due to opening the switch 39. It is thus impossible to either start the car 11 or operate the door 16 while the safety bar is raised. As soon as the operator has entered the car he lowersthe bar thus closing the switch 39. It is now possible for the operator to start the car by selecting the proper button 30, which he presses. The pressing of one of the buttons 30 causes current to flow fromthe positive side through the switch 39, through the coil 50, through one of the operating coils 54 of one of the floor relays 32, andthrough the wire 55 to the negative side of the circuit. This actuates the relay 32 which is pulledup, closing acircuit through the upper contacts 58 to the contact 56 corresponding to that particular floor which contacts with the segments 60 and with the se ments 63, closing a circuit through a wire %0 and through the closing coil 72 of the auxiliary relay 34, the circuit being completed through the wire 7 3 and the emergency button 38 to the positive side of the circuit. This establishesa circuit comprising one of the coils 54 and the coil 72 of the auxiliary relay 34, both of which are held up until this circuit is opened either by the emergency button or by the floor selector 33.

The closing of the relay 34 energizes one side only of the main motor reverser 36, the other side being opened due to the interlock switch 46 being opened. The closing of the button 30 energizes the coil 50, as has previously been explained, thus pulling the closing relay 40 into its upper position. As soon as the button 30 is released the coil 50 is deen'ergized but the operation of the closing relay 40 energizes the closing coil 86 of that relay through the wire 84 and the closing of the switch 45, so that the closing relay 4O stays in its upper position unt1l this circuit is opened by the opening of the closing limit switch 45. The closing relay 40 being in its upper position, closes the circult through the field 42 and the armature 41 in such a direction as to operate the door closing device 21, closing the door.

As soon as the door is closed the closing limit switch 45 opens and the interlock switch 46 closes. The opening of the closing limit switch 45 interrupts the circuit to the holding coil 86, thus allowing the closing relay 40 to drop and open the circuit through the armature 41 and the field 42,

thus stopping the door closing mechanism 21. The closing of the interlock switch 46 completes the circuit through the wire 7 6 so that the main motor reverser 36 can close and start the car on its upward motion. This motion continues untilthe insulated segment 62 reaches the contact 56 through which current is flowing, thus interrupting the, circuit. to the auxiliary relay 34 which drops, opening the circuit to the reverser 36 and stopping the main motor.

During the closing of the door and the operation of the elevator from its initial to itsfinal position, one, of the floor relays 32 will have been held up as previously explained. Whenever the elevator arrives at its proper floor and the circuit is interrupted bymeans oftheinsulated segment 62, the floor relay 32 falls, thus completing a circuit to the negative side through the wire 81, this circuit having been previously opened. The closing of this circuit energizes the coil 82 of the opening relay 43 through opening the limit switch:44 to the positive side of the circuit The (operation of the opening relay 43 energizes the field 42 and the armature 41 to open the door, this opening motion continuing until the opening limit switch 44 is opened, thus releasing the opening relay 43 and stopping the door closing mechanism 21. i

The car is now at rest at the desired floor with the door open. The operator now lifts the barj25, drawing. boththe dooroperating and the car operating mechanism out of commission and can step from the car with the perfect assurance that no one at another floor will start the car until he is com pletely out of it and has lowered the safety bar 25 into its initial position.

I prefer to construct the safety bar 25 as shown so that it will automatically assume the closed position unless .manually restrained. If at any time during the operation of the car the safety bar 25 is lifted the operation of the elevator is stopped, but will be resumed automatically by the restoration of the bar; If, further, at any time the operator desires to stop the car he can readily do so by. means of the emergency button. If a person at another floor desires to call the car to that floor it is obvious that he can do so by the proper manipulation of the button 31.

I claim as my invention:

1. An elevator comprising a car moving in a hatchway, a door closing a doorway into said hatchway, power operated mechanism for opening and closing said door, a manually operated safety bar closing an opening into said car which registers with said doorway when the car is in a proper position,

nd means for-rendering said mechanism inoperative Whenever and'during the time said bar is in its open position. f

QQA-n elevatorco'mprising aycar moving in a hatchway, a door closing a doorway into said hatchway, power operated mechanism for, opening and closingsaid door, a manuallyoperatedsafety bar closing an opening into said car which registers with said door-e way when the car is a proper position, andmeans for rendering sald mechanism inopera'tlve whenever-andduring the tlme sa1d V har'is in its open position, said safety bar being so constructed as to automaticallyclose unless manually restrained.

operative when said; safety bar is out of its closed position. i a V a 4. An elevator comprising a car moving in a.l1a tchway;"hoisting mechanism for raising and lowering said car, adoor closing a doorway into said hatchwa power operated mechanism for opening andclosing said door, means for rendering said hoisting mechanism inoperative at all times except when said? "door isclose'd, a manually operated safetyhar closing an opening into said car,'which registers with said doorway when the car is in a proper position, and means for rendering said hoisting "mechanism and said door operating mechanismlinoperative when said safety bar is out of itsclosed posi t'ion.

5. An elevator comprising a car moving in a hatchway, hoisting mechanism for raising and lowering said car, -a door closing a doorway into sald hatchway, power operated mechanism for opening and closing said door,

means for rendering saidhoisting mechanism inoperative at all times except when said door is closed, a manually operated safety bar closing an opening intosaid car,

I bar which registers with said doorway when the car is in a proper. position, and means, 'for rendering said hoisting mechanism inopera tive'when said safety bar is out of its closed position, said safety her being so constructed doorway into said hatchway, power operated mechanism for opening and closing said door, means for renderlng said hoisting mechanism inopera-tlve atfall times except when said dooris'closed, a manually'o-per a'tedYsafety bar closing an opening into said car, which registers withfsaid doorway when the ca r is in a' proper positioinand means for rendering said hoisting mechanism and said door operating mechanism inoperative when said safety bar is out of its closed position, said safety bar being so constructed as to automatically assume the closed posi tion'unless'manually restrained.

7 An elevator comprising a car moving vertically in ahatchway, hoisting means for so moving the car, a door closing an opening into said hatchway, door operating mechanism for operating said door, interlock means for rendering said hoisting means inoperative whenever said dooris open, a safety bar carried by said car, and; means operated by said safety bar for rendering said door operating mechanism inoperative except whensaid bar is in its closed position." 8. An elevator comprising a 'car moving vertically in ahatchway, hoisting means for so moving the car, a door closing anopening into said hatchway door operating mechanismjfor operating said door, interlock means for rendering said hoisting means inoperative whenever said door is open, a safety carried by said car, and means operated by said safety bar for rendering said door operating mechanism inoperative except when said harisin its closed position, said safety bar being so constructed as to automatically assume the closed position unless manually restrained.

' In testimony whereof, I have hereunto" set my and atLos Angeles, California; this 17th day of June, 1919.

FREDERICKF. BR sH. 

